Eventually, I'd like to start a non-profit that provides entrance, mid, and exit counseling to porn performers and sex workers. Drug problems, financial/career planning, etc. But that's pie in the sky, way down the road type stuff.

And I can come to help find the right people to work at your place and set up their terms and conditions of employment! Along the same lines as helping sex workers, I really want to eventually be in a position to help victims of human trafficking.

I am looking for work. I strongly dislike the process. I am the kind of person who gets super busy (and super happy) when she already is busy but can't make any plans if I don't already have a structured time table, so my life kind of sucks right now. Also, I am kind of avoidant about things that bother me (I just stress in my corner and make mountains out of molehills) so, that sucks too. Urgh. At times I am really diligent and enthusiastic about the job search, but at other times, not so much.

Anyway, I had an interview Friday morning that went really well (lasted 2:30 hours instead of the announced 45 minutes to an hour), and I already got called back for a second meeting. This is not unusual for me, I interview really well. My interviewer Friday had to fill in on the spot for a sick colleague and actually told me just before I left: "You know, when they told me this morning I had to do an interview I was pissed. But I had a great time talking with you and now I'm really glad!"

Let's just see if at the end of the day, once they aren't blinded by my fabulous personality anymore, my qualifications actually allow me to get the job and do the work.

I've got a Masters in Archaeology (completed in 2009) but haven't really pursued anything in the field. Now I'm hoping I might be able to put it to use, but I'm a little worried that the time that has passed between finishing my degree and looking for work is going to be a strike against me. I find it intimidating to approach anyone about a job in archaeology with this in mind (despite having graduated with honors and doing research I'm really proud of).

I am not sure if it's as true in academia, but given the economical climate in Europe since 2008, companies seem fairly forgiving of long periods of unemployment or employment out of your field. Give it a go!

That is such good news! I have a bad habit of assuming that I'm stuck with a situation, but this just goes to show that it never hurts to talk to people and tell them what you need and want. Worst case scenario, nothing changes. But if we don't try we'll never know if maybe something good could happen!

I've got a Masters in Archaeology (completed in 2009) but haven't really pursued anything in the field. Now I'm hoping I might be able to put it to use, but I'm a little worried that the time that has passed between finishing my degree and looking for work is going to be a strike against me. I find it intimidating to approach anyone about a job in archaeology with this in mind (despite having graduated with honors and doing research I'm really proud of).

I am not sure if it's as true in academia, but given the economical climate in Europe since 2008, companies seem fairly forgiving of long periods of unemployment or employment out of your field. Give it a go!

Yeah, I think it's all a matter of how you put it in your resume. Just say you graduated with honors and did various interesting research projects after graduation. Downplay the earning-your-livelyhood-in-a-bookshop-aspect. You are such an archaeology enthusiast, you should really give yourself a chance to work in the field! People will recognize and acknowledge your love for old bones.

-I would like this work to be in Portland! So it feels odd saying about this here but oh well, maybe if you don't live here you have suggestions of other manners

-I kind of want to get into food service, with the end goal of bartending. I know I'd probably be doing something not as fun to start but oh well. Here's the thing, I have no food service experience. Well okay, lies, I worked at Starbucks for a year. But never in something relevant.

-Should I start memorizing drink recipes?

-How would I even go about applying for something like this?

I have totally irrelevant education and work experience for my current job, and I'm managing a cider house tasting room. I think in the service industry, you just have to show a LOT of eagerness and a good track record for sticking with jobs. I would go to a place you'd like to eventually bartend at and speak to the bartender about their experience, and what it took to get to their position. I don't know if it's a thing in Portland, but up here they usually like if you've taken a course, but other places like to train themselves. It bodes well that you live in the land of a thousand bars.

ETA: A lot of catering companies will hire people without experience to bartend at events such as weddings, etc... That might be a good way to get your foot in the door.

I don't think anyone here lives in my area, Orange County CA. I can't relocate but I need a new job.

Like right meow.

If I am wrong, let me know and I might post up what I am looking for. I also have friends in HR at various companies...just not ones I want to work at, but might be right for someone else, so referrals are possible.

That is such good news! I have a bad habit of assuming that I'm stuck with a situation, but this just goes to show that it never hurts to talk to people and tell them what you need and want. Worst case scenario, nothing changes. But if we don't try we'll never know if maybe something good could happen!

Thanks! I wrote to them and haven't heard back. I'm not holding my breath.

_________________Sentients Radio - Find Sentients in iTunes, too!I like cats and elephants.

I don't think anyone here lives in my area, Orange County CA. I can't relocate but I need a new job.

Like right meow.

If I am wrong, let me know and I might post up what I am looking for. I also have friends in HR at various companies...just not ones I want to work at, but might be right for someone else, so referrals are possible.

I know a lot of people who work in California and my company has locations all over. I know we are hiring specifically in LA right now but OC also has options.

_________________You are all a disgrace to vegans. Go f*ck yourselves, especially linanil.

Oh and I'm not REALLY looking for a job but if the right opportunity came about, I'd apply. I have so many years with my company, lots of freedom and what not but I'm always open. I work in IT (I know, very broad but it is as specific as I'd get in an online forum).

_________________You are all a disgrace to vegans. Go f*ck yourselves, especially linanil.

I don't think anyone here lives in my area, Orange County CA. I can't relocate but I need a new job.

Like right meow.

If I am wrong, let me know and I might post up what I am looking for. I also have friends in HR at various companies...just not ones I want to work at, but might be right for someone else, so referrals are possible.

I know a lot of people who work in California and my company has locations all over. I know we are hiring specifically in LA right now but OC also has options.

Nice! I am in marketing, specifically B2B marketing, lead generating marketing programs, media planning, and event managment. Can work in any industry. I actually have a TON of experience in marketing & event planning, almost 9 years, plus a couple of years of sales experience. If you know anyone looking for that, lemme know! :)

My job is boring, not much work comes my way. I know that it is some people's dream job to not have to work very hard, but I WANT TO WORK. I actually like marketing. I want to do a good job, be proud of my work, and have a great career with a great company. Not just collect a paycheck.

I want to do publicity or marketing for books SO BADLY. I'm doing two internships right now and working on the weekends to make it happen. I would prefer to be in Boston, but the majority of jobs are in NY. I'm trying to remain optimistic, I love my internships so much and have learned A TON.

I had an interview at a large publishing house that went amazingly, but then I didn't get the job. The people I interviewed with emailed me with specifics from the interview saying how much they liked me and that they will definitely recommend me should another opportunity come along. I'm so happy to find something I love so much, but I'm getting worried. I graduated in May and have always done everything I'm supposed to do. Shouldn't I have a job by now? :(

I want to do publicity or marketing for books SO BADLY. I'm doing two internships right now and working on the weekends to make it happen. I would prefer to be in Boston, but the majority of jobs are in NY. I'm trying to remain optimistic, I love my internships so much and have learned A TON.

I had an interview at a large publishing house that went amazingly, but then I didn't get the job. The people I interviewed with emailed me with specifics from the interview saying how much they liked me and that they will definitely recommend me should another opportunity come along. I'm so happy to find something I love so much, but I'm getting worried. I graduated in May and have always done everything I'm supposed to do. Shouldn't I have a job by now? :(

the economy sucks, almost no one has a job right after graduation. sounds like you are sticking your foot in the door in all of the right places, so just keep going and keep networking and doing awesome work! don't be discouraged!

I want to do publicity or marketing for books SO BADLY. I'm doing two internships right now and working on the weekends to make it happen. I would prefer to be in Boston, but the majority of jobs are in NY. I'm trying to remain optimistic, I love my internships so much and have learned A TON.

I had an interview at a large publishing house that went amazingly, but then I didn't get the job. The people I interviewed with emailed me with specifics from the interview saying how much they liked me and that they will definitely recommend me should another opportunity come along. I'm so happy to find something I love so much, but I'm getting worried. I graduated in May and have always done everything I'm supposed to do. Shouldn't I have a job by now? :(

the economy sucks, almost no one has a job right after graduation. sounds like you are sticking your foot in the door in all of the right places, so just keep going and keep networking and doing awesome work! don't be discouraged!

oh, and it sounds like you should talk to chicki!

I read something not too long ago that said that 80% of new college graduates weren't employed after 6 months (it may have even been a year) so I wouldn't take it personally.

_________________You are all a disgrace to vegans. Go f*ck yourselves, especially linanil.

I'm joining the "I need a job" train. I would put up small ads as a gardener, but it's December so no one is thinking gardens at the moment. I applied for something the other day that I think I'd enjoy and I have experience in and I think I could actually get, so fingers crossed for that one. None of the bars around here are looking for anyone either. Boo!

_________________Moon - "This is the best recipe in the history of recipes forever."

Thanks for the encouragement, smoothie, Cornelie, and aelle! I think part of my problem is I don't even have a vague idea where to look for work. I need to find out if there's an archaeological job bank for Belgium. I know I need to network too - I even have the name of someone within my field of specialty (zooarchaeology) and a guaranteed recommendation from my thesis advisor and at least one other prof I studied with - but I suck at networking. And before I do any of that, I need to seriously update my CV, ideally making several for the different types of jobs I might be applying for.

Also, although I have done a wee bit of extra research since graduating (basically helping out my thesis advisor with an independent project that fell into her lap that she didn't have time to deal with on her own), none of the stuff we did has been published yet, and my name wasn't officially on the working contract, so I'm not sure I can put that on my resume.

Maybe I worry too much. It's been so long that I think my confidence has taken a bit of a dive. I need to start practicing selling myself a bit. I used to be good at this shiitake.

aelle wrote:

I am looking for work. I strongly dislike the process. I am the kind of person who gets super busy (and super happy) when she already is busy but can't make any plans if I don't already have a structured time table, so my life kind of sucks right now. Also, I am kind of avoidant about things that bother me (I just stress in my corner and make mountains out of molehills) so, that sucks too. Urgh. At times I am really diligent and enthusiastic about the job search, but at other times, not so much.

You're not alone in this! I totally identify. I have no solution, but maybe it helps to know someone knows how you feel. <3 hugs!

_________________I ate the shiitake out of inappropriateness. - Hollie

I've been working in retail for a million years. (Mostly natural/organic skincare.) I graduated with a BA in Women's Studies in 2009. I'd like to do anything but retail. I'm especially interested in health, fitness, animal rights, and vegan cooking and baking. I'm thinking of going back to school to be a physical therapy assistant, but that will be a long journey, as it is harder to get into that program than nursing in my economically depressed state of Michigan.

However, if you're just looking for a part time job in a fairly relaxed environment selling nice things, feel free to PM me. The french skincare company I work for probably has a store near you and you're welcome to list me as a reference.

I'm graduating in 2 weeks with a B.S. in Biology and I really wanna do research. I applied for a few research positions but I haven't heard back yet. I did have an interview today though with a food testing company. It's not the kind of work I want to do at all, so I'm not sure if I should take it if they offer me the job. It will probably pay better than a typical research position as well..........

I really need a job, but I've only been looking for a few weeks so I'm not desperate yet. Also, some of my current research is going to be published soon so that should make my resume a lot more impressive. SOoooo I don't know what to do! Do I take a job that I'm not passionate about just because I might not find one I really love?

Biologist PPK'ers! What is your research background and what is your ideal research area? My recommendation would be to take a job you aren't passionate about provided you don't have to get tied in/relocate and keep applying for better situations! It took me 6 months of searching to find a position in my field and it was rough, but I was working temporarily doing field/lab work (luckily, in my field). It's hard to do, but if you can stay motivated on the end-game it will pay off! The job market sucks and it's hard to find a good fit, but being published and having experience really helps! Just keep trudging through, and get creative about types of employers/related foci you can see yourself getting stoked about and surround yourself with supportive people who understand why you are crazy enough to want to work in science.

And I'm sorry if this is obvious to you (but on the off chance it isn't, it's worth it's weight in gold), but subscribe to the ECO-LOG listserv ASAP and check the ESA Physiological Ecology boards!

I'm still working on this dang cover letter! Writing a cover letter for my ultimate dream job is so hard! I'm technically qualified, but this is going to be my first job in the field and this particular job is so specialized that I imagine a million people who have done a ton of work in the field will be jumping at this chance and here I am with my cool degree and lots of experience assisting other people doing this stuff, but never actually doing anything of note myself. UGH! I hope pure enthusiasm can get me in door somehow?

_________________I am not a troll. I am TELLING YOU THE ******GOD'S TRUTH****** AND YOU JUST DON'T WANT THE HEAR IT DO YOU?

I'm still working on this dang cover letter! Writing a cover letter for my ultimate dream job is so hard! I'm technically qualified, but this is going to be my first job in the field and this particular job is so specialized that I imagine a million people who have done a ton of work in the field will be jumping at this chance and here I am with my cool degree and lots of experience assisting other people doing this stuff, but never actually doing anything of note myself. UGH! I hope pure enthusiasm can get me in door somehow?

Yes! You will rock! You never know what the person on the other end is looking for, so it's best just to assume it's you!

So, I finished my letter, had a few people read it. Finally thought it was pretty good and I get to the "supplemental materials" portion of the application which is where I assumed I would be able to upload a resume, but it turned out that section was only asking about felony convictions. It's a state job, so the application process is very uniform, but there was no where for me to upload my resume and I was only able to list my past jobs. I couldn't even detail my internship experience. Ugh! So, I have no chance of getting a call back without being able to submit my letter/resume. Does anyone have any ideas about this? The woman who currently runs this program's contact info is on the website. Would it be at all appropriate to e-mail her my cover letter and resume? Or maybe just an email explaining the situation and asking if I could email her my cover letter and resume? I have no idea. I'm pretty crushed at the moment.

_________________I am not a troll. I am TELLING YOU THE ******GOD'S TRUTH****** AND YOU JUST DON'T WANT THE HEAR IT DO YOU?